Feeling the values: how pride and awe differentially enhance consumers’ sustainable behavioral intentions

Building on prior work examining discrete emotions and consumer behavior, the present research proposes that consumers are more likely to engage in the target sustainable behavior when marketers use an emotional appeal that matches the brand’s expressed values or one that is congruent with consumers’ value priority. In particular, we focus on two contrasting positive emotions—pride and awe. We show that the effectiveness of pride and awe appeals depends on the corresponding human values. Specifically, pride increases sustainable behavior and intentions when the self-enhancement value is prioritized; and awe increases sustainable behavior and intentions when the self-transcendence value is prioritized. Importantly, this interaction can be explained by enhanced self-efficacy. We demonstrate these effects across six studies, including a field study. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of sustainable consumption, reconcile prior research, and provide practical guidance for marketers and policy-makers.